MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Moscow intends to take part in the upcoming Astana group’s foreign ministers meeting on Syria initiated by Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an address to participants in the Eleventh Middle East Conference hosted by the Valdai International Discussion Club. His address was read out by Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov.

"The Astana group remains the most effective mechanism for international efforts aimed at facilitating the Syrian settlement process, where we continue to interact with our Turkish and Iranian partners. Nur-Sultan hosted the 17th international meeting on Syria in December 2021," the address reads.

"We soon plan to compare our positions at a foreign ministers meeting initiated by Turkey," Lavrov noted. He was hopeful that Syria would be reinstated in the Arab League "in the near future."

A Turkish Foreign Ministry source said earlier that Lavrov had confirmed in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu that he would participate in a diplomatic forum scheduled to be held in Antalya on March 11-13, as well as in the Astana meeting on Syria.